Trinity football

Trinity Warriors (7-2, 4-1)
 When it comes to eight-man football, few programs in the state have matched the success rate that Trinity has put together in the last three years.
 Last fall the Warriors got stronger as the season progressed, closing the year with five straight wins,  averaging 45 points a game.
 Lost in the offensive explosion is that Trinity's defense tightened the reigns, allowing just 58 points while posting two shutouts -- not a simple task in eight-man football.
 Trinity's two losses during the season came against teams that were a combined 17-2 -- with both going undefeated in their respective leagues.
 With all the success the Warriors have achieved under head coach Frank Leonard, talk of moving to 11 man football has once again surfaced.
 In fact, Trinity potentially could have moved to the North Coast Section's Bay League this fall, the same league that St. Francis Catholic of Watsonville plays in.
 "We think organically the school will grow,'' Leonard said. "As that happens, our program will grow with it, And the natural step is 11 man football. That's where we believe we're headed.''
 For now, the Warriors are getting used to their new digs as the school moved a few blocks above Lighthouse in Monterey. The campus has a gym and provides a space to practice football.
 "It's a big difference practicing on campus,'' Leonard said. "We're saving 40 minutes a day in travel. It's helped with moral. There's new energy with the season. Better attendance. Better everything."
 While some of the most prolific players in the programs brief history have graduated, Leonard wasn't left empty handed.
 The return of tailback Jamez Booker gives the Warriors an electrifying presence in the slot and in the backfield with his speed and instincts.
 The Coastal Athletic League's Player of the Year in basketball last winter, Booker is also a shutdown corner on defense, opposite Devon Smith.
 Leonard has 18 players returning from last years team, including quarterback Caleb Hill and receiver Eric Wright and 6-foot-5 sophomore Kristopher Hill. It won't hurt having Christopher Wright back in the backfield as well.
 "It's impossible to be perfect,'' Wright said. "What we ask of Trinity Christian football is with every snap and whistle, we want perfect effort.''
 Defensively, Wright was a beast at linebacker last fall for the Warriors while seniors Shane Doughty 285-pound Brandon Leonard are returning starters on defense.
 Of the 18 players returning, 13 were either freshmen or sophomores last season, meaning Leonard has a cast to build around for the next few years.